Doherty's Sean Mulcahy named Patriots' Coach of the Year

WORCESTER — Seventy-two hours after capturing the Division 4 state championship at Gillette Stadium, praise and accolades continued to flow in the direction of Doherty High's historic football team. Coach Sean Mulcahy, who has been at the helm longer than any of his players have been alive, was honored Tuesday as the New England Patriots' High School Coach of the Year in a brief ceremony in the Doherty gym.

WORCESTER — Seventy-two hours after capturing the Division 4 state championship at Gillette Stadium, praise and accolades continued to flow in the direction of Doherty High's historic football team.

Coach Sean Mulcahy, who has been at the helm longer than any of his players have been alive, was honored Tuesday as the New England Patriots' High School Coach of the Year in a brief ceremony in the Doherty gym.

Former Patriots standout Andre Tippett, a member of both the NFL and New England Patriots Hall of Fame, was on hand to present Mulcahy with a plaque. Tippett also lauded the efforts of the Highlanders' team, which was on hand for the ceremony.

Mulcahy's squad defeated Dennis-Yarmouth, 28-26, in the title game. The state championship was Doherty's first in any sport and the first by a Worcester school since North High won a Class B indoor track title in 1941.

The Highlanders, the top-ranked team in the T&G football media poll, finished the season 12-1, the best record in school history. Doherty is 21-4 over the last two years.

Mulcahy noted that the season was indeed memorable and the end result fitting for a long journey which began immediately after last year's difficult loss to eventual Super Bowl runner-up Shepherd Hill Regional in the Central Mass. Division 2 playoffs. Being named Coach of the Year by the Patriots is a huge honor, but also a team honor, said Mulcahy, a former Doherty player.

"I wish they called this a staff award. In reality, we all put in a lot of hard work and spent a lot of time away from our families, always trying to do this the right way," Mulcahy said. "I just happened to be the head coach by name. Every coach out there, we work as a group, we work as a team. It's the way we play, it's the way we coach."

Mulcahy, who went over the 100-win coaching mark this season, is assisted by Steve Bucciaglia, Dan Coonan, Mike DiStefano, Paul Dowd, Perry Jano, John Mazzola and Tim Walles.

"Every coach brings something to the table for us and I appreciate everything that they do," Mulcahy said. "This award is really a reflection of all our hard work."

Mulcahy also had high praise for his players, who came to play each week while grinding through a punishing schedule.

"They worked very hard to become good players," Mulcahy said. "Some have God-given ability while a lot of them became good football players through hard work. We had a lot more of those types than we did Lukes (quarterback Luke Brennan) and Isaacs (receiver/safety Isaac Yiadom).

"And we're not just athletic, we're tough. You don't win the kind of games we've won the last six weeks without being tough and athletic. We won the other day on defense. That's the result of toughness, perseverance — the qualities that make up good football players."

Doherty's players appreciate the effort by Mulcahy and his staff.

"Freshman year, I came in here and wasn't that good, but Coach Mulcahy told me I had potential," senior wide receiver Alfred Adarkwah said. "He stuck with me, now we're state champions. I give a lot of credit to Coach Mulcahy. He's been here so many years, and for him to finally achieve a state championship is amazing. Coach works so hard. He checks our grades, makes sure they're up, and calls us to make sure we come to practice. A real father figure to us."

Boston College-bound Yiadom was happy to see Mulcahy win the Coach of the Year honor and agreed that all the Doherty coaches were special. He added that the coaches worked well with the players, particularly in preparation.

"We came into this season confident, but we never got overconfident and the coaches were always there for us," Yiadom said. "On the field, we just did what we had to do to win — take it one game at a time. After we lost to Leominster, we said we would not lose again. Shepherd Hill was a huge win for us in the playoffs, revenge for last year. From then on, we kept rolling. I love all these guys. They're my family."

"We wanted to get it back after losing to Shepherd Hill last year, and went right to work," Adarkwah said. "Lifting, working hard, staying together as a family. In the season, coach said every game was a dance and we always wanted to win those dances. Focus on the task at hand. Our determination helped us pull it off. I couldn't be happier for our team."

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